Underage drinking leads to fatal car accident

March 17, 2017
By
Law Offices of James E. Crawford, Jr. & Associates

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On June 25, a group of Maryland teens was speeding down the road drunk,
including the driver. They were on their way to another party after leaving
the previous one. That’s when the ex-high school football player
who was driving the car said that he was worried about an upcoming speed camera.

Someone in the car said to drive faster so the speed camera would not catch
them. The driver sped faster and when they passed the speed camera, it
read over 100 mph. Soon, the vehicle hit a curve, flew off the road and
into the air and hit a fence and two trees.

The two 18-year-old passengers riding in the backseat were not wearing
seat belts, and they died instantly. The passenger riding in the front
seat was injured with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver was taken
to the hospital in critical condition but later released.

Police have yet to charge the driver in this incident, but they said that
they will make a decision on the matter next month. The driver was found
to have what would have been a
borderline blood alcohol level for an adult, between .07 and .09. However, for a teenager, the legal
limit to drive is .02, so he would be considered DUI. Also, the driver
was found to have the sedatives benzodiazepines and marijuana in his system.

This is truly a sad case. Regardless if the teen driver is criminally charged
and regardless what charges are brought against him, the families of the
teens who died in the crash may have strong claims for wrongful death-related
damages against the driver in this case.

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